The Church At Brierfield

making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

One of Pauls prayer requests concerning the Romans was that he would get a chance to visit them.  The Romans needed Paul to minister to them and he desparatly wanted to minister, yet he submitted himself to the will of God instead of running off to Rome on his own.  Just because there was an opportunity to minister and a great need for ministry, Paul was not free to up and go to Rome.  He would not go unless there was a way to do so that was in the will of God.

Do we have this same commitment to finding God’s will concerning our ministry?  Do we seek and follow God’s will for us or do we simply look for opportunities that we want to participate in and do that instead?  The difference is subtle but important.

Why are we not determined to wait on God’s will?  Why do we chase after whatever opportunity presents itself?  I think one reason is that we don’t believe God’s specific will for us is knowable.  We don’t really believe that He will reveal it to us.  Therefore, we do what seems right in our own eyes.

Romans 1:9 – Romans 1:11

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

As Paul is about to tell the Romans how much he prays for them, he appeals to God as a witness to the truth of his statement.  He wanted them to know that he wasn’t just saying that he prays for them.  How often have we flipantly told people that we would pray for them and then didn’t?  Are we faithful enough in our prayers that we are willing to call upon God as our witness?

Paul serves God with his spirit as well as his body.  It is easy to get caught up in external service and neglect the spiritual.  As important as service we perform with our body is, the service we perform with our spirit is much more important.  “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”  (Eph. 6:12, NLT)  Prayer is an entirely spiritual service, no body is required.

Paul prays for the Romans all the time.  He lived in a continuous state of prayer and commanded the Thessalonians to do the same, “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17)  To do this, prayer has to be more simple and basic than we generally think.  Prayer is simply talking to God.  He lives inside us and we should always be talking to Him.  One topic we should talk to Him about every day is the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Just as Paul did with the Romans, we should “without ceasing … make mention of [them] always in [our] prayers.”

Romans 1:8 – Romans 1:10

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Paul is grateful to God for the Romans and their faith.  He thanks God through Jesus because He alone can give us access to God the Father.  “[He is] the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him].”  (John 14:6)

Notice, also, that Paul does not thank the Romans for their faith.  He thanks God because He is the soure of their faith and every other thankworthy thing within them.  The same is true of us.

The Roman’s faith was being talked about around the world.  That is an impressive commendation.  It is interesting that it was their faith being talked about.  The buzz was not about their buildings or their programs or their preachers or their music or their great numbers.  Instead, the buzz was about their faith.  Would that our churches today be known for their faith in God.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  (Hebrews 11:1, NLT)

Romans 1:7 – Romans 1:9

Paul, … To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul now addresses his letter.  He is sending it to all the believers in Rome.  It is interesting that he did not address it to a specific “church” in Rome.  He sent the letter to the city as a whole.  In a city that large, there must have been multiple congregations but they acted as one church.  We should be one today as well and not have so many divisions among us.  This oneness is an important part of our witness to the world and it glorifies God.

I do not pray for these [twelve disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  (John 17:20-23, NLT)

The roman believers were beloved of God and so are we.  God dearly loves His children and we are precious to Him.

We are not just called to be saved from sin but to be the saints of God.  In the bible, we are referred to as saints 61 times, Christians 3 times, and believers 2 times.  God’s preferred word for His people is saint and it refers to everyone who believes in Jesus.  (2 Thess. 1:10)  A saint is a holy one who is devoted to God and living a godly life.  We are all called to be saints of God and need to live up to our high calling.

Grace and peace in life come from God the Father and God the Son.  Every time these words are used in a saluation in the bible they are in the same order, grace and then peace.  This is also the order they actually come to us in our lives.  First we must receive the grace of God and then we can be at peace with Him.  Without the grace of God we are His enemies and can never have peace with Him or in our lives.

Romans 1:6 – Romans 1:8

among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

The Romans are among those mentioned in verse 5 that the apostles were commissioned to tell about Jesus.  They became believers when they heard because Jesus personally “called” them to Himself.

Jesus initiates salvation by calling or inviting us to believe on Him.  If He did not initiate the process, we never would.  Once He gets our attention, we are responsible to believe on Him, His crucifiction and resurrection, to save us from our sins.  This in one call we really need to answer.

Romans 1:5 – Romans 1:7

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

All that we receive from God is through Jesus.  Without Him, we could not even have a relationship with God.

Through Jesus, Paul and the other apostles received grace.  Grace refers to God giving them the ability to do what He expected them to do.

Through Him, they also received their apostleship, their commission to proclaim the gospel to all nations.

When Jesus sends us to do something, He always supplies everything we need to accomplish it from beginning to end.

The apostles’ responsibility was to cause people from all nations to become obedient to the faith.  The faith refers to all that we believe as followers of Jesus.  Obedience is very important to God, yet most believers take it very lightly.

All of this is done for Jesus’ name, for His glory and His honor.

Romans 1:4 – Romans 1:6

and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Of all Jesus did that proved He was the Son of God, nothing declared it more clearly than His resurrection from the dead.  He is the only person ever resurrected to never to die again.

Not only does the resurrection declare that Jesus is the Son of God, it is also the greatest display of God’s power.  Unbelievably, this same resurrection power is at work in believers today.

I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.  (Eph. 1:19, 20)

The power that raised Jesus from the dead came from the Holy Spirit, who continually indwells every believer.  It is mind boggling to imagine the limitless power that is at our disposal.

Romans 1:3 – Romans 1:5

concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh

God’s good news to mankind is all about His Son.  As with most fathers, if you receive the Son then you receive the Father.  You can’t have one without the other.

It would be easy to get the impression that Christ is Jesus’ last name.  I actually thought it was for many years.  Christ is a title meaning the anointed one or the messiah.  Jesus is the Savior God promised to Israel.

Not only is Jesus our Savior but He is also Lord, Master, and King.  He has authority over us and we owe Him respect, honor and obedience.

As was prophecied, Jesus was a direct decendant of Kind David on His human side.  This is a very important point because it verifies Jesus’ claim to be Messiah.

Romans 1:2 – Romans 1:4

The gospel of God, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

The good news, that Jesus made a reality, was not an afterthought of God.  He promised He would send a perfect sacrifice for sin long before Jesus came.  God always follows through on His promises.

God used His prophets to tell us that Jesus would come hundreds of years ahead of time.  He always makes sure we know the things He wants us to know.  He does not want us to be ignorant concerning His will.

The “Holy Scriptures” refer to the old testament.  Many believe that the old testament is no longer relevant but it is full of truth about Jesus.  Jesus used the old testament to teach about Himself.  “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”  (Luke 24:27)

Romans 1:1 – Romans 1:3

Paul wrote a hand written letter to the believers in Rome, which we now refer to as the book of Romans in the Bible.  This letter has survived for almost 2000 years and has been read by countless people.  Letter writing can be a powerful ministry and God has used it mightily in the Church.

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

Paul referred to himself as a bondservant or slave of Jesus.  He did not think of himself as being in a position of status but rather one of service.  We all need to think of ourselves as servants of Jesus and one another.

Calling is a concept that has fallen out of style.  Paul considered himself to be called by God to do his ministry.  To be called is to be divinely selected.  We all should seek out God’s calling for us and begin to live it out.

Apostles are messengers or ambasadors sent out by someone important.  There are twelve apostles in the Bible who were specially commissioned and sent by Jesus to deliver His message to the world.  In addition to the original twelve, every believer in Jesus is also a messenger to the world.

God separated Paul out and appointed him to tell the gospel of Jesus.  Everywhere he went, he told about “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2)  The gospel is that simple and we should tell it every chance we get.

Romans 1:2